Plow



y 13, 19 1.- w. E. WENTWQRTH 2,241,752

PLOW Filed Jan. 16, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l fzgn E- W fltwbrth.

May 13, 1941. w. E. WENTWORTH v PLOW Filed Jan. 16, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Q G *m 2 mm mm Rm Patented May 13, 1941 .UlTED STATES, PATENT OFFICEPLOW William Earl Wentworth, Von Ormy, Tex.

Application January 16, 1940, Serial No. 314,176

8 Claims. (Cl. 97-45) This invention relates to plows and moreparticularly to improvements in plows of the type disclosed in myallowed application, Serial No. 259,431, filed March 2, 1939, now PatentN 2,195,948.

One object of the invention is to provide a plow having a plurality ofplowshares and mounting means for said plowshares wherein means isemployed to cooperate with the mounting means for retaining, one or moreof the plowshares in a raised, inoperative position when desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a plow wherein the beamssupporting the plowshares carry hangers which are engageable with uideposts on. the frame of the plow for detachably supporting the beams withplowshares thereon, in the raised inoperative position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a plow having a levermounted for convenient manual engagement, said lever being operativelyconnected with the hangers and being shiftable for engaging ordisengaging the hangers with re-- spect to the guide posts employed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter having means for alternately raising the plow beams, withshares thereon, so that all of the plowshares will not be in engagementwith the ground at'the same time, with the result thatthe amount ofpower needed for operating the implement will be reduced to a.

minimum. W 1

A further object of the invention is to provide a plow wherein the plowbeams and guide posts employed cooperate for providing an effectivemounting forvsaid beams, the beams being held :1

against lateral movement but being permitted to shift vertically insliding engagement with the guide osts.

As a, still further object, the invention seeks to provide a plow whichwill, due to the fact that the beams shift continuously when in use, hekept clear. of weeds andtrash which might interfere with properoperation.

And still another object of the invention is to provide a plowwhereinthe means connecting the control lever with the hangers on the plowbeams is simple in construction and positive in opera- "tion.

Further'and incidentalobjects of the invention not particularly pointedout herelnbefore, will become apparent during the course of thefollowing description.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan vlewof my improved plow. V i V V Figure 2 is alongitudinal sectional view on the line 22 of Figure 1, looking in thedirection in dicated by the arrows.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail elevation, partly in section, showing themechanism for controlling the hangers.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view showing particularlyone of the hangers and its associated structure.

Figure 5 is a detail front elevation of the hanger as it would appear inengagement with the hook or notch employed.

The numeral I indicates, in general, the frame of my improved plow. Theframe I is clearly seen in Figure 1 of the drawings and includes sidebeams .2 and 3, a rear beam 4, a front beam 5, and converging frontbrace beams 6 and 1. The front brace beams 6 and 1 meet medially of thewidth of the frame I and are connected near the forward end of a hitchbar 8 which has its inner end connected with the front beam 5 mediallyof its width. Reinforcing beams 9 and I6 extend between the front beam 5and rear beam .4 in spaced relation at each side of the center of theframe. The axle H extends transversely of the frame near its rear endand said axle is-mounted by means of suitable bearings I2. The axlecarries at its opposite ends, Wheels 13 which support pneumatic tires44. It should be understood, of course, that the use of pneumatic tires,while desirable, is not absolutely essential.

,Mounted on the frame are share mounting beams I5, 16 and [7. As bestseen in Figures 1 and 4 of the drawings, each of the share mountingbeamsincludes beam elements I8 and I 9 which are of substantially L-shapeconstruction.

beam2 in spaced relationthereto, the beam I6 is located medially of thewidth of the frame, and the beam I! is located near the side beam 3 andin spaced relation thereto.

1 At their corresponding free ends, the beams l5, l6 and I1 areapertured to receive the shanks 2| of plowshares 22. Bolts 23 securelyretain the shanks in proper operative position on the share mountingbeams.

Rising from the rear beam 4 of the frame I at right angles thereto andat spaced points along said beam 4, are guide posts 24. The guide postsare substantially square in cross section and extend between the beamelements l8 and 15. The guide posts 2% are each provided with anextension 25, best seen in Figure 3, which extension is formed with anotch 26, the purpose of which will be described hereinafter.

It will now be understood that the guide posts 24 serve eifectively toguide the beams in their upward swinging movement from the upper surfaceof the rear beam 4 to a height suflicient to permit clearance of thepoints of the shares from the ground. For the purpose of raising thebeams from their lowermost position, I provide raising arms 2i which aremounted on the axle I I. The raising arms are three in number and eachcarries a roller 23 which is engageable with a striking plate 29 on theunder surface of each of the share mounting beams. As will be seen inFigure 2, the raising arms 2? are mounted in spaced relation along theaxle and are fixed to said axle when being disposed beneath each of theshare mounting beams I5, iii and IT. The arms are mounted on radii theplanes of which are disposed in obtuse angular relation. Due to themounting of the arms 2? on the axle H, all of said arms will ordinarilynot be in engagement with their associated share mounting beams at thesame time. In other words, as the axle rotates, the arms 2? will bemoved so that their rollers will successively engage the share mountingbeams for successively raising and lowering said beams. Inasmuch as allof said beams are not lowered at the same time, all of the plowshareswill not be in engagement with the ground at the same time. Therefore,the tractive effort required to move the implement will be reduced to aminimum. It should be understood, however, that the arms 27 may beadjusted for raising and lowering the share mounting beams in anysuitable manner. Ordinarily, the arms will be mounted on the axle insuch a manner that two of the plowshares will be engaged with the groundwhile the third will be raised to inoperative position. Obviously, whenthe two beams are raised from the ground, the third beam, formerlyraised, is lowered to operative position.

The mechanism for retaining the share mounting beams with plowsharesthereon, in raised position, together with the mechanism for releasingsaid beams and plowshares, will now be described. Reference isparticularly directed to Figures 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings, whereinthis mechanism is shown in more detail than in Figures 1 and 2. In orderto support the beams in raised position, I employ inverted U-shapedhangers for each of the share mounting beams. A typical hanger is shownclearly in Figure 5 and is indicated by the numeral 30. A typical hangerincludes a bight portion 31 having a straight section 32 medially of itsends. The hanger also includes arms 53 which terminate at theircorresponding lower ends in inwardly directed opposed trunnions 34. 1etrunnions, as will be seen, are swingingly mounted in the night portionsof eye bolts 35 which are mounted in each of the beam elements 18 andI9, nuts 35 serving the purpose of retaining the eye bolts in position.It will now beunderstood that the hangers 35 straddle the openingbetween the beam elements. The hangers are upwardly presented so as tobe engageable in the notches 2% of the extensions on the guide posts24'when it is desired to retain the share mounting beams in raised,inoperative position.

For shifting the hangers so that they will be engaged with or disengagedfrom the notches 26 when the share mounting beams are in raisedposition, I provide mechanism which includes yokes 3'], one of saidyokes being provided for each of the beams l5, l6 and I1 and each ofsaid yokes having slide arms 38 and 39 which are slidably engageablethrough ears 40 formed on the upper ends of the arms 33 and projectoutwardly therefrom. Stops 4! are mounted on the inner ends of each ofthe slide arms while stops 42 are mounted on the corresponding outerends of said arms. Coil springs 4.3 surround the arms 38 and 39 betweenthe stops 4! and corresponding sides of the ears 40, while springs 44extend between the stops 42 and the corresponding opposite sides of theears 40. The yokes 31 are each provided with shanks 45 and said shanksare connected rigidly to operating sleeves 46, one of said operatingsleeves being, of course, provided for each of the'yokes. As clearlyseen in Figures 1, 2 and .3, the operating sleeves extend throughout themajor portion of the length of the beams l5, l6 and 11, said sleeveseach being provided with a lug supporting member 41' having an operatinglug 43 thereon. Ihe sleeves 46 are slidably supported, at theircorresponding inner ends, by guide rods 49 which are provided with loops5!? at their corresponding. inner ends, said loops being adapted to fitabout the pivot bolts 20 which pivotally mount the forward ends of theshare mounting beams l5, l6 and I1.

Mounted on the front beam 5 in longitudinal alinement with eachv of theguide posts 24, is a supporting bracket 5|, said supporting bracketrotatably mounting an operating rod 52 which extends transversely of'the frame above the beam 5. The operating rod 52 has keyed thereonoperating fingers 53, 54 and 55. The operating fingers 53 and 55 aremounted on the ends of the rod 52 and are each provided with an engagingmember 55 engageable over the end of the operating; lug 48 of each ofthe lug supporting members 41. As seen in. Figure 3, the operatingfinger 54 is also provided with an engaging member for the purpose ofengaging the lug 48 disposed therebeneath. However, the operating finger54 is provided with an integral upwardly projecting lever arm 51.

Mounted on the hitch bar 8, at the junction. of the front brace beams 6and 1 with said bar, is a control lever mounting bracket 58 which isformed with a rounded upper surface 59. having latch notches therein.Pivotally' mounted on the bracket 58 is a control lever 6! formed with alatch rod 62 of conventional design, said rod being, of course,selectively engageable' in the notches es. The control lever is pivoted.on. the bracket 58 at 63 but extends downwardly to a pointin closespaced relation to the upper surface of the bar 8. The lower portion ofsaid control leveris designated; at'64 andis op'eratively connected tothe lever arm 5'! of the finger 54 by means of a linl; 65

The operation of the invention should appear obvious from the foregoing.However, a brief discussion-is not thought to be out of order- The plowis connected to a suitable sourceof motive power and is then readyto bemoved'itot an area to be cultivated. While being moved; the sharemounting beams are. held in raised position by engagement ofv the"hangers 30 in the notches 26. The plowshares will thus effectively bekeptfro m engaging the ground. It should be noted, however, that as theaxle ll rotates, the arms 21 will shift'the beams I5, l and 11'upwardly'along the guide posts 24 a distance suflicient to clear thesections 32 of the hangers 30 from the notches 26. However, the controllever 6| will be retained in the position shown in Figure 3 of thedrawings, with the result that the operatingsleeves 46, yokes 31 andsprings 44 will assure that, when the arms 2'! move'out ofverticalposition, the hangers will return to suspended position in thenotches 26. When it is desired to lower the share mounting beams forintermittently connecting the shares with the ground, as is necesasryfor digging short furrows or pockets to retain rain water and snow forirrigation purposes, the lever 6| is moved rearwardly. Movement of thelever transmits movement through the link .65, the fingers 53, 54 and55, the lugs 48 and theirv supporting members 41, the sleeves 46, theyokes 31; and the springs 43 to the hangers for displacing said hangersfrom-the notches 26 so that when the raising arms 21 engage the plates29 of each of the share mou'ntingbeams, said beams will be raisedandlowered, as the arms engage and disengage, for raising and lowering theplowshares out of and into engagement with the ground. With the lever inrearward position, the springs 43 retain the hangers 30 out ofengagement with the notches 26 so that continuous operation will beassured. I

The device lends itself particularly well for all types of soilcultivation. However, as stated, my improved plow is panticularlyeffective for digging short furrows for retaining rain water and snowfor irrigation purposes. Also, in the same operation, damming of thefurrows will take place, so that all of the water will be retained. Thefurrows also afiord protection against blowing away of the soil by highwinds. It is desired particularly to stress the advantage that, when inuse, at no time are more thantwo plowshares in engagement with theground. 'Ijhis arrangement permits operation with a, minimum of powerand, consequently, minimum economy, 'As stated, due to the fact that thebeamsl5, l6 and I! are always in motion when the implement is in use,there will be little chance for accumulation of trash or weeds whichwould interfere with the proper operation of the plow. As will be noted,the control lever is mounted for convenient operation from the seat of atractor so that the plow may be conveniently operated by one personwithout the necessity of his dismounting from the tractor to raise orlower the plowshares. The construction of the device is characterized bythe utmost simplicity. It is desired to call attention to the fact thatmy improved plow is a combination moisture retainer and cultivator. Itis also desired to mention that the plowshares employed may be of anysize desired. That is to say, when working in an orchard, for instance,smaller plowshares than those shown would be used.

It is further desired to emphasize that the eams can be moved in aneutral position and the two outside plow beams can be moved closertogether or further apart for spacing to make the desired width of rowsto bed the land for planting.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a plow, a frame, share mounting beams pivotally mounted on theframe, plowshares carried by the share mounting beams, an axle,

wheels carried by the axle, means carried by the axle and engageablewith the share mounting beams for alternately raising said beams andalternately engaging the plowshares with a surface to be cultivated,means engageable with the share mounting beams and operable forretaining said beams and plowshares in a raised inoperative position,and means mounted on the frame and connected with said last mentionedmeans and being operable for controlling said last mentioned means froma remote point.

2. In a plow, a frame, an axle carried by the frame, share mountingbeams carried by the frame and including spaced beam elements,

plowshares carried by the beams, guide posts carried by the frame andextending between the beam elements of each of the beams, said guideposts being adapted for guiding the beams in upward swinging movement,means carried by the beams and cooperating with the guide posts forretaining said beams in an upward inoperative position, said lastmentioned means being operable from a remote point.

3. In a plow, a frame having front and rear beams, side beams, a hitchbar, and front brace beams connected between the hitch bar and thecorresponding ends of the front beam, an axle carried by the frame,supporting wheels carried by the axle, a share mounting beam carried bythe frame and having spaced beam elements, means mounting the sharemounting beam on the frame for vertical swinging movement on said frame,a raising arm carried by the axle and engageable with the share mountingbeam for raising and lowering said beam upon rotation 'of the axle, aplowshare carried by the share mounting beam, a guide post carried bythe frame and extending between the beam elements for guiding the sharemounting beam in its upward swinging movement, said guide post having anextension formed with a notch, a hanger carried by the share mountingbeam in straddling relation to the opening defined by the spaced beamelements, said hanger being engageable in the notch for retaining thebeam element and plowshare in raised position, and means for shiftingthe hanger whereby said hanger will clear the notch for permitting freeup and down movement of the share mounting beam. t

4. In a plow, a frame, an axle carried by the frame, supporting wheelscarried by the frame, a share mounting beam pivotally mounted at theforward end of the frame, means for guiding said share mounting beam inits swinging movement, means carried by the axle and engageable with theshare mounting beam for swinging said share mounting beam upwardly andalong said guide means, a plowshare carried by the share mounting beam,means carried by the share mounting beam and engageable with the guidemeans for retaining said share mounting beam in raised inoperativeposition, means carried by thefr-ame at a point remote from said lastmentioned means and connected therewith for controlling said lastmentioned means, and means connected with said last mentioned means andbeing manually shiftable for displacing said last mentioned means andpermitting free up and share mounting beam pivotally mounted on theframe at its forward end, said beam having spaced beam elements, araising arm carried. by the axle and engageable with the beam. elementsfor swinging said beam elements upwardly with respect to the frame, aguide post carried by the frame and extending between the beam elementsfor guiding said beam in its swinging movement, a plowshare carried bythe beam, saidg-uide post having an extension formed with a retainingnotch, a hanger carried by the beam elements of the beam and beingpivotally mounted on said beam elements, said hanger having a bightportion provided with a flat section engageable with the retaining notchfor retaining the beam in a raised inoperative position, and meansengageable with the hanger for shifting said hanger and displacing thefiat section of the bight portion from the retaining notch whereby freeup and down movement of the beam will be permitted.

6. In a plow, a frame, an axle carried by the frame, supporting Wheelson the axle, share mounting beams mounted on the frame at spaced pointsthereon, said share mounting beams including spaced beam elements and aplate, raising arms carried by the axle, one of said arms being mountedbeneath each of the beams and said arms being mounted on radii in planesin obtuse angular relation to each other, guide posts carried by theframe, one of said guide posts extending between the beam elements ofeach of said beams, said guide posts each having an extension formedwith a notch, rotation of said axle causing engagement of the raisingarms with the share mounting beams for alternately raising said arms toinoperative position whereby short furrows will be dug by plowshares,carried by the beams, hangers carried by the beams and being movable forengagement in the notches for retaining the beams in raised inoperativeposition, and means mounted on the forward end of the frame andconnected with the hangers and being operable for shifting said hangersfrom engagement with the notches whereby free up and down movement ofthe share mounting beams upon rotation of the axle will be permitted.

'7. In a plow, a frame, an axle carried by the frame, supporting Wheelscarried by the axle, a raising arm carried by the axle and having aroller, a share mounting beam comprising spaced bean-r elements and aplate extending between the beam elements at their under sides, meanspivotally mounting the beam elements for vertical swinging movement, aguide post carried by the frame and extending between the. elements ofthe beam, said guide post having an extension formed with a notch, aU-shaped hanger carried by the beam and having a flat bight portionengageableinthe notch, said axle being rotatable for. engaging theroller with the plate of the beam for raising said-beam andengaging thehanger in the notch. for. retaining said beam in raised inoperativeposition, and 'means carried by the frame and extending longitudinallyof the beam and being operable. for displacing said hanger from thenotch whereby free up and down movement. of the beam will be permitted,said means including a. yoke engageable with the hanger, anoperatingsleeve connected with the yoke, and manually engaseable means connectedwith the operating sleeve for shifting said sleeve and yoke fordisplacing the hanger from the notch in the guide post;

8. In a p1ow,.a frame, an. axle carried by the frame, supporting wheelscarried by the axle. a share mounting beam carried by the frame andhaving spaced beam elements, a guide post carried by the. frame andextending upwardly between the beam elements, means pivotally mountingthe share mounting beam at the forward end of the frame, said guide postguiding upward swinging movement of the beam, said guide post alsohaving an extension formed with a notch, a U -shaped' hanger carried bythe beam and having ears, a yoke having arms. extending through theears, springs carried by the arms of the yoke at each side of, the earsand providing a resilient connection between the. yoke and the hanger,said yoke having a shank, an operating sleeve connected with the shank,said operating sleeve extending longitudinally of. the beam and betweenthe beam elements thereof throughout a portion of its length, aguidepost pivotally mounted on. the frame and extending within the operatingsleeve throughout a portion of its length. for guiding said sleeve, alug supporting member carried .by the operating sleeve at its forwardend and having an operating lug, a supporting bracket on the frame, anoperating rod on the supporting bracket, an operating finger fixed onthe rod and having an engaging member engaged with the operating lug, alever arm carried. by the operating finger, a control levermountingjbracket mounted on the frame, a control lever on the lastmentioned bracket, and a link operatively connecting the control leverwith the lever arm of the finger, said control lever beingshiftable forshifting the link, finger, operating lug, operating sleeve, and yoke forshifting the hanger to engage or disengage in the notch of the guidepost for retaining or releasing the share mounting beam with respect tothe guide post.

WILLIAM EARL WENTWORTH.

